PGMOL and FIFA have officially released their final statements regarding the two contentious penalty incidents that occurred during Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage — and have stood by the original decisions made by the referee and VAR team.

💥 "It's beyond belief" – Ex-PGMOL chief @HACKETTREF explodes at VAR over 𝘿𝙊𝙐𝘽𝙇𝙀 Liverpool v Fulham failure. Absolutely shocking! pic.twitter.com/u38f6kdQht

— Football Insider (@footyinsider247) April 6, 2025

The drama unfolded just minutes into the Premier League clash when Fulham midfielder Andreas Pereira went down after Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher came rushing out without making contact with the ball. In the same sequence, Rodrigo Muniz clashed with Virgil van Dijk inside the penalty area, but referee Chris Kavanagh waved play on.

Both moments were reviewed by VAR, and no penalties were awarded — a decision that sparked frustration among fans and pundits alike. However, on Monday morning, PGMOL reaffirmed the decision in an official statement:

“The referee’s call of no penalty to Fulham following a challenge by Kelleher on Pereira was checked and confirmed by VAR – with it deemed a coming together and not a reckless action,” a PGMOL spokesperson said.

“The VAR also checked and cleared the incident between van Dijk and Muniz, with no clear and obvious error identified.”

FIFA echoed the PGMOL’s stance, supporting the consistency of the decision-making process in this case. A FIFA representative added:

“The decisions made during the Liverpool vs Fulham match followed the current interpretation of the laws of the game. In both reviewed cases, the incidents were considered subjective and not sufficient for VAR intervention.”

Former Premier League referee Keith Hackett, however, strongly disagreed, calling the incidents “beyond belief” and arguing that Fulham were denied two clear penalty kicks.

Despite the controversy, the outcome of the match remained unchanged. After taking an early lead through Alexis Mac Allister, Liverpool conceded three goals in a chaotic 15-minute stretch before halftime, with Fulham scoring through Ryan Sessegnon, Alex Iwobi, and Rodrigo Muniz. Luis Díaz’s second-half strike gave the visitors hope, but they ultimately suffered their first away league defeat of the season.

With PGMOL and FIFA now confirming their final verdict, attention turns to Liverpool’s response in the upcoming fixtures — and whether these early-season refereeing calls could have a lasting impact on their title ambitions.